Jaeger‑LeCoultre - Master Memovox Boutique Edition

In 1950, Jaeger‑LeCoultre designed the Memovox, a watch that was designed to help businessmen remember their meetings, as a result of its chiming function. The first Memovox models were manually wound but in 1956, a Memovox featuring the 2.5 Hz (18,000 vph) Calibre 815 became the first self-winding alarm watch in history

To mark the 60th anniversary of its automatic movement this year, an exclusive Memovox edition produced in 500 pieces will be available in Jaeger‑LeCoultre Boutiques around the world starting in November.

With its double crown and a mobile disc with the desired alarm time shown by a triangular indicator, the Memovox design gave rise to several case and dial variations.

The new Master Memovox Boutique Edition is a contemporary interpretation of a rare model dating back to the 1970s, the Memovox Snowdrop, characterised by a greyish-blue dial.

The Memovox Snowdrop produced in the 1970s

The dial of the new model has kept all the characteristics of the original Memovox Snowdrop.

Baton hands with a luminescent coating move around a white “railtrack” minute circle, which delineates the outer rim of the sunray-finish blue inner disc where a little triangle acts as a hallmark of the alarm function, also glowing in the dark.

Moving across an opaline blue surface, the triple-faceted hour-markers are also coated in luminescent material and overlaid by a grey-blue “railtrack” minute circle – just like the original watch. The hour-marker at 12 o’clock is replaced with a Jaeger‑LeCoultre logo.

The 40 mm x 14.06 mm stainless steel case has classic lines and brushed finishes with an entirely engraved case-back remarking that the watch belongs to a limited edition of 500 pieces and that it successfully undergone 1000 hours of rigorous tests relating to its functioning and reliability.

There are two crowns on this watch. The bottom crown is used for winding as well as setting the time. Setting the alarm function is simple: shift the top crown into neutral position. Then, in position 2, turn this crown in anti-clockwise direction until the desired ring time. Turning the crown clockwise allows you to set the date, displayed in an aperture at 3 o’clock.

A direct descendant of the original Calibre 815, the Jaeger‑LeCoultre Calibre 956 that drives the Master Memovox Boutique Edition beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a power reserve of 45 hours.

The material selected for the strap is a deep blue braided cotton known as “Trieste”, with a light blue stitching and a supple calfskin lining to ensure a comfortable fit.

Mixing a modern “retro-style” look and feel with the old-fashioned charm of a mechanical alarm, even more appealing in our “digital” era, the Jaeger‑LeCoultre Master Memovox Boutique Edition (ref. 141848J) has a price of Euro 11,000 / US$ 11,700. jaeger-lecoultre.com